Tag Archives: studio

The following is a minimotion and some creative endevours and or signs of creativity documented while in Mexico earlier in the year. It was an interesting experience to make art in a new environment, it comes with its own set of challenges and surprises. I do find art is a bridge between myself and the people I encounter, perhaps it is the universiatlity of creativity that truly connects us. No matter where I go it is there. I soak in what’s around me as I work, I try to get into is rhythm, hear it’s sounds, and smell it’s smells. Some will say to me that art is my job, and yes it’s true that art is part of my income however it is so much more than just a commodity, or product. Art is an exchange between myself and the environment I am in. Kids passing by while working in public is a unique experience. They are truly in the moment, even when the parents are focused on something else, I catch that glimpse and smile, mini Suns that remind me to continue on the path. This is the bonus of painting in public, and something I do miss when I am buried deep in the studio. Life passes pretty fast and it is easy to get lost in a studio and forget the world is there. By putting myself out there I am opening to an infinite number of possibilities. By trusting my intuition and I let the creative process do what it does, when I try to control the vairbles is when it often loses its magic.

fotoMahaloness

‘the next bend’ (part one of two) 💛 hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘loving memory’ featuring a couple snippets of a boat trip to a special place in Mexico with the foamies, it was a magical experience that will live on with me for the rest of my days ❤️ in loving memory of J brah who left us too soon, in a time of sorrow we become one in order to celebrate and honour him, forever in our hearts, rest in peace my friend ❤️ here’s to the next bend

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ice cream shop drawing sesh ⚡️ Zicatela Puerto Escondido

watercolour made on top of a house under a palapa, I could hear every sound for miles around (Puerto Escondido)

So ​I was away for a brief time, apologies for the the disappearance. It happens when you’re a painter, which tends to be a very solitary discipline that requires long periods of time concentrating on one thing, or in my case about 5 or 6 things. So it’s not big surprise that Mahaloness has been a little neglected. I also encountered the disappearance of my domain, which is somewhat foreshadowing of what’s to come for this here blog. I am currently the process of developing a new website, which will act as a store, a gallery, and blog. An all in one, a dynamic website that will be replacing Mahaloness. I will say Mahaloness has served my artistic journey well, however I am ready to for the next chapter. Before that happens I will be posting here when I can and providing updates with respect to the new online shop and site for those interested. I do want to thank all who have cruised my blog, and hopefully you have gotten some things from my posts and my art.

Now time for the Winer Blues…

It is has been a long cold winter here in the Northern hemisphere, with very little reprieve, endless, non stop, won’t stop. This has been a mixed blessing, on one hand it has been a very productive time in the studio, and on the other hand cold and miserable weather is taxing on the constitution and makes for some less than cheery moments to say the least. Thankfully painting and art process is a reliable antidote to the dreaded cabin fever, and somewhat reasonable response to the winter blues. So praise the paint gods for that! Although to be honest I am over it, and I think a lot of people would agree with m here.

fotoMahaloness

Me chilling with my painting WIP SLO

For most of the winter, I have been working on my series ‘SLO’. I am a slow painter, not to say I haven’t made fast paintings, I just prefer to take my time, and letting the paintings dictate the pace, slow and steady, sans deadlines. These are not commission paintings and I have been working on some of them for months, and even years. I find a lot of art tends to go with trends, this is fine if that’s what you want to do, I just don’t think they have lasting power…. trends they come and they go. I am more interested in making paintings that take their time revealing themselves to you. They are not statements, they are not a protest, and they are far from pop art. They are contrary to life’s pace, I have found no alternatives that would adequately suffice to speed the process up sans the use of performance enhancing substances, which is not an option, nor would I ever recommend it, and I do speak from experience. I think these days everyone wants to enhance their brain, and energy levels, and they will go to any lengths to make that happen. In fact studies are starting to show that this may not be that effective, more than likely the long term effects are not good. In fact substance abuse has been a part of arts history and how many great artists have we lost because of it, too many to mention.

A painting has its own rhythm.

Detail from ‘Pink Dragon’ also part of the SLO series (acrylic on recycled cardboard)

The translation from idea to painting takes time and has its own rhythm. Once I am in paint mode I tend to work with my intuition, thanks to a lot of hard work developing my painting skills. Some days are easier than others, when physical, mental and spirit are balanced, the work flow is effortless. Other days it seems that Gravity is heavier, paint brushes are heavier, things spill and spirits get worked. This does not stop my process and I have disciplined myself to work through it, however there have been times when it’s not so good on the constitution. In my weaker moments artist rage can erupt. When this happens I do not try to stop it. Instead I try to redirect this energy back into process and in most cases it can be effective. Occasionally it just doesn’t work and I will bounce onto something else, or even better go for a walk.

Life experience has shown me how negative energy can be a detriment to quality of life and process. This is somewhat paradoxal to the idea that artists require suffering to make great art. I think suffering is a given in life, there is always some form of suffering from the little stuff to the big stuff. This goes for everyone and that’s all I will say about that for the moment. However artists such as myself have our days, and things can get a little overwhelming when it is just one person getting things done. Lately I have been getting some help with my marketing and business side of things, something of which I have either ignored or never delegated the proper time for. This has been a weakness, and a good friend of mine worked on me for months, to get me to sit down and talk about my strategy. It was a struggle. I have come to realize that it’s as important as is the process of making art itself, and this what led me to rethink Mahaloness and how I do things.

Lastly, always listen to your gut! The gut don’t lie.

and now a minimotion special feature

‘deep see’ 🎥 new hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘gone painting’ featuring a few recent sesshins on my WIP ‘SLO’ and a window into my artistic practice.

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Below is one of my little notebooks ‘notes from the underground’ which refer to the fact my studio is in a basement, this is where I put down ideas and work out chess moves, with regards to my WIP paintings. Generally speaking this signifies that I am in the last phases of production, and by writing things down I clear my head in order to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, which works most times….

SLO WIP in hybrid art format, mixed media

Sometimes I go horizontal with SLO

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Below is SLO with an image superimposed behind which is me working on my first indie mural ‘Hillhurst Hardware’ although years apart I think every mark I make informs my work to come, it adds to the layers, and nothing will ever replace content like that of life experience.

I still use the palette knife that was originally my grand fathers, it has a great feel and keeps me connected to my past.

The eagle, the scarab, the horse, animals and bugs are a part of my art experience.

Once and a while I like to do something diferrent.

There is something special that happens when I body paint someone, especially if it someone I know, I see them in such a new and unique light, I think that’s pretty cool, I look forward to continuing this aspect of my art.

I will admit my studio sometimes looks chaotic, I try to keep it neat and tidy, that lasts about a minute, once creative impulse kicks in there’s no such thing as neat and tidy. I have been working on this painting below for several months, I started it in a friends store, I worked near a window that in most days bathed me in sun light and was the best light I have ever worked with, expect sometimes it got a little too hot, which can make it difficult to work with acrylics, it gets sticky and can be tricky to move in the surface. While I painted friends would come hang out, and talk about life, school, and all sorts of interesting. I found the experience to be fun and also challenging, my comfort zone is a studio, being in public was a completely different experience to the cave art, cave art because I work in a basement, which is also my home, that has great light and I can see my garden through my studio window and the neighbourhood resident rabbit, Pedro. So eventually I did bring this painting back into the studio and have been working on it ever since, layer by layer, building, sculpting, weaving, and trying to see it through. I’ve been reading some Joseph Campbell recently, author of ‘Masks of the Gods’ and ‘Myths to Live By’ and I came by this passage which I think captures a little bit of what my painting called ‘SLO’ is about, of course I leave it open to your interpretation, and would not suggest that this is exactly my sentiments, however I also find it does resonate with me quite a bit.

One has to appear in some mask or other if one is to function socially at all; and even those who choose to reject such masks can only put on others, representing rejection, “Hell no!” or something of the sort. Many of the masks are playful, opportunistic, superficial; others, however, go deep, very deep, much deeper than we know…It is silly therefore to say, for example, “Let’s take off our masks and be natural!” And yet- there are masks and masks. There are masks of youth, the masks of age, the masks of various social roles, and the masks also that we project upon others spontaneously, which obscure them, and to which we then react.

Anyway I think it somewhat describes this painting, when I can think of something smart to say I will, I just have somewhat always felt this way about roles, and playig the parts in this theatre that is life.

a new minimotion called ‘the badlands’ with soundscape ‘sometimes’ featuring footage from a recent work trip, I occasionally work in the film industry as a grip, this footage was taken while in the badlands of Alberta, a place where giants once thrived, and now film crews roam. This place is like turning the clock back except for the delapitated grain building, who was also once was a giant.

​​​​​Part 2 ‘good ol days’ with soundscape ‘a moment of silence’

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‘inside the studio’ a minimotion documenting the process while working on a very special project, a skeleton helmet airbrush WIP for a Canadian Winter Olympic hopeful with soundscape ‘waiting on clear coat’

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‘dodo dood’ recent ink doodle made while on a sojourn to Edmonton from my white lodge book

a 2nd bird doodle made in Edmonton for my good friend Gord who offered up his couch and roof, always nice to stay with a friend when your on the road.

from an earlier sesshin working on my WIP ‘SLO’

‘Sitting quietly’ an not so old watercolour made around 2014 when I decided to give watercolour a whirl, I like the medium been experimenting with some side projects, which I will share in future posts

As I travel through this unfamiliar land I begin to release the pressures that life brings, and the soul does sing. I am guided by an inner desire to explore this planet, always observing its changes, some subtle, some more extreme. Here in the coast I smell the the salty ocean air, sun kissed, all that was a problem evaporates with the morning dew, only leaving a heightened sense and clearer view. New experiences, new perceptions, the ocean brings healing to being and calms the mind made busy in the pursuit of maya and the illusions that life presents. Here I am carefree, worry free, anxieties driven by the hustle and bustle lifestyle to maintain some kind of comfortable existence fades quickly replaced by soothing sounds of lapping waves on a beach, sparkling with millions upon millions of tiny beads, birds singing, and a cool sea breeze. Let me live in this moment forever even though I know this to be fleeting, I will keep this moment in my memory banks for those days when life turns blue.

fotoMahaloness

When on the road there are people who will leave you something nice, reminding you that humanity despite the news is alive and well

morning yum made with love by my travelling companion

I am always fascinated with the local flora when I arrive in a new place.

​I love to timelapse the sky, here is the sky near Seaside Oregon, close to where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. ​
It is time to move on to see some giants, ancient trees, remanants of what was, and a reminder to continue to protect these areas, stewardship, so that future generations can experience these amazing trees in person, not just on a computer or smart phone screen.

And now from the hälts ART vault

Here are three treasures from the vault, they show my early forrays and amalgamation of abstract, realism and surrealism. I had a lot of urban influence early on, as well I was interested in Japanese kabuki, mokuhanga (wood block printing), specifically ukiyo-e artistic genre. I have continued to work on this style as you will see in the last image which is a recent foto from my studio.

‘easty westy’ acrylic on canvas c.2006

‘geisha’ wearable art, hand painted cap c.2005

Currently in the studio

a new painting called ‘SLO’ and ‘forest wolf’ and some other WIP projects including a skeleton helmet for an Olympic athlete I am about to transform into a moose, more on that in future posts.

And NOW! hälts minimotion special feature presentation⚡️🌞😎🔥💛🌴🌹💫🇨🇦​
‘those eyes tho’ 🐬 new hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘my passport expired’ featuring hand painted Vans for @zoe.h23 who sent hälts a DM concerning some sneaks she wanted painted, hälts was up for the challenge and this special feature hopefully captures the essence of what hälts does, which is paint and with a little luck inspire, Mahaloness out to Zoë, hälts hopes you are wearing them! 🦄 side note hälts is off to Portland to meet his forest faerie friend ✨✨✨

It has been a beautiful start to the summer, hälts has been in the studio, with periodic trips to BC to visit family, hang out with the wildlife and reenergize for ​​the work ahead. Life is a beautiful.

Minimotion Special Feature!

‘pueo sesshins’ 🕯 hälts was ‘in it’ late last night trying to finish his ‘pueo’s dream’ here is a new minimotion featuring timelapse clips from various sesshins with soundscape ‘cumulus rising’ ​​​

‘a rose is but a rose’ 🌹 new hälts minimotion with soundscape ‘slo down’ featuring some timelapse footage from a recent BC sojourn to visit the elders, and hälts WIP ‘painted turtle’s dream’ using a few in camera tricks😎​​​

The journey continues, the artist within ready to explore the world outside the confines of the studio. From the studio he ventures to a crystal shop, and in doing studio walls melt away. For a good long while the artist was in an contraction period, countless hours spent in his cave, the world shrinking, life passing by. Lost in his own world, the artist became an enigma. So the artist decided it was time to leave the cave to explore the world, connect with the people, spend as much time with Nature as possible, and prepare for the next leg of the journey.

fotoMahaloness

enter hälts open studio painting project ‘the healer’

hälts got in a canoe with his naturalist friend and she found some edible mushrooms provided by this lovely planet (it is the mushroom in the headdress of ‘the healer’ painting below)

hälts ‘in it’ live painting at Calgary New Age Books & Crystals, next to his mural ‘creator’

detail from hälts ‘the healer’ painting, currently in its final stages, more information on this painting in future posts⚡️

the sky speaks, always a good idea for a painter to look up at the sky in between those ‘in it’ moments, good for the eyes and the constitution

a beautiful scene in the woods with a healer friend and forest lover🌿

Love Nature, treat it with care, and it will provide a beautiful experience in return.

a fall scene from a mountain sojourn with his healer friend

hälts hybrid art called ‘Volcano Goddess’

hälts catching a quick Nature nap in a hut found while exploring the forest. (foto cred: Rebecca Rychliski)

for any inquiries please email hälts at mahaloness@gmail.com

⚡️Special Announcement⚡️ If you happen to live in the Calgary hälts is putting on an art print sale at Calgary New Age Books and Crystals this Saturday the 12th of September from noon until 7 pm 🌍 located at 104 10 St NW🌍 in the funky neighbourhood of Kensington. He will be selling and signing prints, there will also be hälts art greeting cards available for sale, and some truly unique original art as well. He hopes to see you there.